[iDC] Intel pulled out from the Negroponte ¹ s low-cost laptop project. -ELPAIS- Madrid - 04/01/2008

[Vicente Matallana]

Intel pulled out from the Negroponte¹s low-cost laptop project. The company
refuses to resign their Classmate initiative that competes with OLPC ³One
laptop per child².

 

ELPAIS.com - Madrid - 04/01/2008
 
Intel stoped their collaboration with the ³One laptop per child² project
(OLPC), initiative promoted by Nicholas Negroponte aimed to bring technology
closer to children from developing countries.
 
According to the BBC News, the company states ³philosophic differences² and
withdrawn its funding and technological support to this initiative that
builds low-cost computers aimed to schools without economic resources

 
The Intel withdrawal is a great blow to the organization, because despite
their recent collaboration, only since July 2007, it means the lost of one
of their bigger partners.

 
The disagreements between Negroponte e Intel had already reach the papers.
The technological Guru had asked Intel to resign their Classmate PC project
(a rival low-cost laptop with similar sale pitch), as long as they were part
of this initiative. It appears that OLPC had to compete against Intel in
some countries that both organizations were promoting their own product.

 
The Intel spokesman has confirmed that the company was not interested in
focusing only in the OLPC, deciding to abandon the project.

 
Intel denies that the fact that their firsts OLPC laptops, called XO, use
the same processor as their major competitor AMD did not influenced the
decision of leaving OLPC. In fact, there was an expectation that in the next
CES Fair in Las Vegas, they will launch a new configuration based in the
Intel chips for the green and white computers.

 
XO has struggled to make breakthrough with massive orders, and it seams that
the Classmate sales competition was making the situation even more
difficult. The laptop was supposed to cost $100 (67 euros), but in their
lasts orders for Uruguay and Nigeria the cost reached $188 (127 euros).
Apparently, to arrive to their $100 aim, they need that the governments
orders shipments rises to one million unities, but so far, it has not
happened.
 
Recently, the OLPC launch a campaign ³Buy two, give one² to subsidize the
machines by buyers form USA and Canada. This scheme has helped the reach of
laptop XO to new countries like Haiti, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Camboya, Mongolia
and Afghanistan.